In April 2007, I received a call from the First Sergeant of my US Army Military Police Company. He informed me that our unit had been alerted for possible deployment. At this time all able-bodied soldiers were being activated to go to Iraq for a surge in troops.
At first I was uneasy about the prospect. I had a wife and three young children who needed me, and I had recently been informed that my temporary schoolteaching job would most likely lead to a permanent position. I told my wife about the possible deployment and prayed to be receptive to God’s direction and my purpose in this situation. It became clear that I should go. Our unit would be tasked with training the Iraqi police forces in the area of Tikrit.
As the weeks went by there were many things I had to do to prepare. This time was very stressful; however, I kept my thoughts on God. I realized that each step would be guided by God’s loving and powerful ever-presence. As I read my Christian Science Bible Lesson each day, with passages from the Bible and Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, I prayed for my safety and that the soldiers in my unit would be safe and protected as well.
Our flight to Fort Dix, New Jersey, for training was very calm. As a Master Sergeant in Operations, I had much to do. During training, I continued to pray specifically each day for the protection of the soldiers. One source of inspiration was “the scientific statement of being” on page 468 in Science and Health. The first couple of sentences especially spoke to me of God’s allness and our spiritual nature as God’s reflection.
I prayed to be receptive to God’s direction and my purpose.
During one particular physical evaluation, a doctor told me that he could get me out of this deployment because of my age. I told him that I needed to stay with my troops. I realized that God had placed me where I was at this exact time for His purpose. Along those lines, I have always been inspired by this passage from Science and Health that says: “It is proverbial that Florence Nightingale and other philanthropists engaged in humane labors have been able to undergo without sinking fatigues and exposures which ordinary people could not endure. The explanation lies in the support which they derived from the divine law, rising above the human” (p. 385).
Soon, our unit boarded a plane for Kuwait. There we did specific training for our eventual destination. Once that was completed, we boarded a C-17 transport aircraft. Throughout the flight, I was praying about God’s arms encircling us all.
Once we landed in Iraq, we got settled into our living spaces. The first week I was there, a large explosion happened at one of the gate entrances where we were stationed. The trailer that I was in was lifted about three feet off the ground. Around this time I had been praying with the ninety-first Psalm to realize our protection from evil. I was unharmed in that incident.
I appreciate this part of the psalm: “Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; there shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways” (verses 9–11).
This psalm helps me see that, as God’s reflection, we are all truly living in God, Spirit, and understanding that brings us protection. No matter what difficult circumstances we may face, knowing our spiritual identity can help bring needed change and healing.
I would use the spiritual truths learned each day in the Christian Science periodicals and the Bible Lesson.
My duties were very intense, and I was also required to board Black Hawk helicopters to go to other posts in the theater of operations. Each time I boarded a helicopter I was deep in consecrated prayer to realize that our safety was in God. And during my walks on the compound, I realized God’s ever-present protection for each and every one of us. I would use the spiritual truths learned each day in the Christian Science periodicals and the Bible Lesson.
During the deployment, I witnessed that many troops were protected from sniper fire, hand grenades, improvised explosive devices, roadside bombs, battle-related skirmishes, and many who had sustained gunshot wounds recovered. The soldiers in my unit all safely returned home to their families.
I am deeply grateful for Christian Science and the truths about God and our spiritual nature that I learned in Sunday School and in Christian Science Primary class instruction. God will always be my strength and stay.
